Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explains exactly why Jadon Sancho struggled after joining Man Utd

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer chased the signing of Jadon Sancho for years at Manchester United only for the winger to flop at Old Trafford.

Manchester United had finished second in the 2020/21 season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and so the summer transfer window was spent gearing up for a title push in the next season.

In the same window that Cristiano Ronaldo completed his fairytale return to Old Trafford, United spent £72 million signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

Four years later and Sancho is on loan at Aston Villa in the final year of his United contract. United fans are happy Sancho is gone, which tells you everything you need to know about his spell at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer was unable to get the best out of Jadon Sancho, but the former United boss has now explained his slow start.

Jadon Sancho was hospitalised after Man United move

After completing his big-money move, Sancho made a slow start at United which was causing concern among the fanbase.

Solskjaer was being pressured to start Sancho so that he could showcase his potential, but it turns out an infection actually halted his progress early on.

Speaking to The Overlap, Solskjaer said: “We wanted to take the next step — not move away from what we had, but add something different in the final third.

“We wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, with his skill, link-up play, and little passes around the box, gave us that.

“He was unlucky, though. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection.

“He was in hospital and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us.

“That hasn’t really come out before. So, yeah, I never really got to play with him properly, because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out.”

Jadon Sancho has no excuses for flopping at Man United

While Solskjaer explains Sancho’s slow start, there are no excuses for how he acted at the club under Erik ten Hag.

Sancho publicly fell out with Ten Hag, releasing a statement suggesting he was being made a scapegoat at United.

It was extremely unprofessional from Sancho and, ultimately, it marked the beginning of the end for his United career.

READ MORE: The clause Ineos decided not to include in Jadon Sancho loan deal looks like a stroke of genius

While out on loan, Sancho aimed a petty dig at United by replying “freedom” under Marcus Rashford’s post. It was yet another example of his poor attitude behind the scenes.

An ear infection can excuse Sancho’s poor start, but the months and years of underperformance that followed are all down to his failings.